Chapter 17: Ambush

"Something's not right. The spirits around us are filled with unease," Daly said with a frown.

"There's a powerful Beyonder nearby, harboring hostility towards us!"

She stood up from the sofa, no longer appearing dejected but rather intensely alert as she looked around. Gripping the crystal pendant on her wrist, she silently communicated with unseen entities.

This was a true "medium" at work, communicating with invisible spirits!

Leonard also reacted, leaping up from the sofa. He walked to the window and glanced outside, but the bustling North Zotlan Street showed no signs of anything unusual.

"Could it be another official extraordinary team, like the 'Punishers' or..." Angel suggested a possibility.

"Unlikely. We all have clearly defined territories and don't usually come near other teams' areas. Besides, given Ms. Daly's reaction, this Beyonder..." Leonard trailed off.

"Is stronger than me," Daly answered briefly.

Leonard's expression changed abruptly. He quickly drew the revolver from his shoulder holster and cocked the hammer.

"Then it's likely a Sequence 6. There are no such official extraordinaries in Tingen City."

Stronger than Ms. Daly, so possibly a Sequence 6... So Daly Simone was also a Sequence 7 extraordinary? Angel looked at Daly, who was still silently communicating with unknown entities. She hadn't expected this plain-looking, rather dejected young woman to be an extraordinary on the same level as Night Watcher Captain Dunn Smith.

Wait, Sequence 6...

"Mrs. Sharon!" Angel blurted out. She saw a flash of terror in Leonard's suddenly widened emerald eyes.

"To the 'Chanis Gate.' We have no chance here," Leonard quickly decided, moving away from the window with his gun raised, heading towards the partition in the reception room.

Though unsure where this "Chanis Gate" was, Angel figured following was the best option. She stood up from the sofa, first opening the bullet box on the table and taking out all the "Storm Convergence" bullets. She put the ones already in the loader into her dress pocket, then picked up two revolvers and followed Leonard.

Daly also stopped communing with spirits, still frowning as she looked around.

As Angel passed by Daly, she offered her the smaller ladies' revolver loaded with "Phantasm Eruption" bullets: "Ms. Daly, you know how to use a gun, right?"

Daly, her eyes deep as an abyss after finishing her spiritual communication, looked at Angel in surprise. She chuckled softly and said, "Though I may not look it, I am a genuine 'Night Watcher.'"

She reached out to take the gun.

Angel's hand tightened on the weapon, freezing in place as if teasing Daly, holding the gun just out of reach.

Unfortunately, Daly couldn't reproach Angel now. She seemed entangled by invisible threads, her black robe clinging tightly to her body, outlining her shapely figure. Her outstretched hand was frozen in mid-air, as if waiting for a handshake.

Angel knew her own clothes must be in a similar state to Daly's, as she too was now rigid, her neck fixed, unable to move. From the corner of her eye, she saw Leonard, who had reached the partition of the reception room and was about to go around it, his long coat clinging to his body, his limbs posed in a forward stance, stopped in place like a comical puppet.

This was undoubtedly Mrs. Sharon's handiwork. As a Sequence 6, she had brazenly entered Black Thorn Security Company using her invisibility ability, standing near the group to deploy her extraordinary power, controlling everyone present like marionettes. Although Daly had received a warning through her spiritual abilities, it was all too late.

Angel could feel the threads tightly wrapping around her entire body, her major joints locked and immobile. This sensation was rapidly spreading to her fingers and above her neck. In just a few seconds, the only part of her body she'd be able to move would be her eyeballs. Mrs. Sharon was waiting for this moment, remaining invisible nearby, waiting for everyone to fall completely under her control before revealing herself to complete her final act of killing.

Daly and Leonard might be trying to find a way to break free from this restraint, but Angel couldn't wait any longer. She had to use these precious few seconds to create a possibility for counterattack for the others. First, she needed to force the invisible Mrs. Sharon to reveal herself.

She struggled to move her left index finger, gradually tightening the joint, pressing towards the trigger of the ladies' revolver—the muzzle pointing directly at Daly Simone, who was about to take the weapon.

"Sorry..." Angel's lips moved, uttering a single word.

The trigger was pulled, the hammer fell, and the "Phantasm Eruption" bullet, propelled by gunpowder gases, was instantly ignited by the power inscribed within it. Trailing a spreading phosphorescent light, it struck Daly's chest.

Of course, Angel wasn't a mole sent by Mrs. Sharon, hiding until this moment just to personally shoot Daly. As an auxiliary bullet, "Phantasm Eruption" had no direct killing power. Upon impact, the bullet head would burst open, transforming into insubstantial "phantasm light powder" covering a ten-meter radius, marking all objects and creatures reactive to spirituality—including those invisible.

The bullet itself, if it hit bare skin, might cause minor burns, but through clothing, it was almost harmless. Moreover, the invisible threads binding Daly seemed to fear high temperatures. Angel saw transparent threads like spider silk appearing at the point of impact on Daly's chest, rapidly dissipating under the effect of the "Phantasm Eruption."

Simultaneously, with the point of impact as its center, the entire reception room was instantly filled with glittering phantasm light powder, ignoring gravity and the gentle breeze from outside, floating quietly in every bit of space.

To Angel's eyes, Daly in front of her and Leonard further away both emitted a faint phosphorescence, as if enveloped in a white halo like human bodies under spiritual vision. And less than two meters from Leonard, a similar human-shaped halo was appearing in an apparently empty space.

Without needing Angel's reminder, Leonard's gaze locked onto the halo beside him. Now only able to move his facial features, without hesitation, he opened his mouth, his deep, magnetic voice resonating:

"Farewell, free-spirited sea.

This is the last time before my eyes,

You roll your azure waves,

And shine with your beautiful radiance..."

The ethereal and serene recitation echoed like a lullaby beneath the high ceiling of the reception room. Even the breeze from outside seemed to have disappeared, and all the phantasm light powder in the room was moving away from Angel.

She felt as if she had arrived at a lakeside in a forest, or as if lying on a velvet-covered bed. The calm and peaceful atmosphere made her mind blur, feeling she could fall asleep at any moment.

"Can't sleep!"

Suddenly remembering she was still in battle, Angel forcefully recalled her consciousness that was almost flying out of her body. To stay awake, she even bit her tongue.

The sharp pain dispelled the strong drowsiness. The lake surface before her eyes and the velvet beneath her disappeared, and she returned to the Black Thorn Security Company reception room filled with falling phantasm light powder.

This must be an ability similar to "Nightmare" pulling people into dreams, though weaker than Dunn's direct dream entry...

Angel refocused her gaze on Leonard, who was still reciting in his deep voice. The halo of light he was facing—Mrs. Sharon—should also be in a similar state, and likely more affected due to being closer to the "Poet" Leonard.

So, she should... She tried to move her limbs. Unfortunately, the invisible threads were still pulling at her body, but compared to the completely immobile state earlier, the threads, now without Mrs. Sharon's control, had obviously loosened. Angel felt she could move her limbs slightly.

She looked at Ms. Daly in front of her. The latter, also feeling an increased range of movement in her limbs, immediately used the crystal pendant on her wrist to quickly enter a mediumship state, her emerald eyes once again becoming profound.

"Use fire," Angel suggested.

As an "Assassin," she had no way to deal with the invisible threads enveloping her entire body. She could only place her hopes on the "Medium" Daly and the invisible "spirits" around them.

Daly nodded almost imperceptibly, and then the space around the two women began to float with strands of pale blue fireflies, dispersing the nearby phantasm light powder. This was the light emitted when the threads binding them were ignited.

These invisible threads only curled up and disappeared quickly like spider silk encountering fire when in contact with high temperatures. The blue fireflies rapidly spread along the threads in the surrounding space, creating a dreamlike scene.

But Angel had no time to appreciate it. The moment the threads were ignited, she felt the force restraining her dissipating rapidly. Without time to applaud Daly's performance, she raised her right hand holding the large-caliber revolver. Without aiming, relying solely on her gun sense, she fired a "Storm Convergence" bullet towards the halo of light representing Mrs. Sharon.

The hastily fired bullet didn't hit Mrs. Sharon's vital points, only striking the target's waist. However, instead of the muffled sound of a bullet penetrating flesh, there was a crisp "crack." The halo marked by the phantasm light powder shattered like a mirror illusion, disappearing from Angel's sight. Along with it, the full-length mirror hanging behind the door, used by guests to adjust their attire, also shattered.

A mirror substitute!

The phosphorescence-marked mirror shattered on the ground, while Mrs. Sharon, who should have been there, had vanished without a trace. Angel raised her gun and looked around, but couldn't find a new target in the gradually dissipating phantasm light powder.

Did she escape...

It made sense. Failing in one attempt and coming back another day was an assassin's lifesaving trick. But since Mrs. Sharon had boldly attacked the "Night Watchers'" base, would she really give up so easily?

Daly stood in place, continuing to guide the blue flames towards Leonard, helping him break free from the thread's restraints. Angel's gaze swept across every corner of the room, trying to discover Mrs. Sharon's hiding place. The phantasm light powder's marking couldn't be shaken off even by instantaneous movement—this was common knowledge she had learned in another world. But here, the unfamiliar marking was easily destroyed by the mirror substitute, becoming a one-time effect.

The sense of crisis in her heart gradually intensified. The "Assassin's" instinct made Angel hesitate no longer. She pointed the gun in her left hand at the floor and pulled the trigger, firing another "Phantasm Eruption" bullet. The fragile bullet head shattered on the floor, once again filling the entire room with dreamlike phantasm light powder.

In the spreading light powder, a figure rapidly approached. Angel bent slightly, preparing to dodge, but was shocked to realize the target wasn't herself, but the "Medium" Daly, who had her back to the approaching figure!